Mary Ball Washington was not a bad mother – you might have heard of one of the kids she raised, George Washington, who grew up to do quite alright in life. However, the first president’s mother had a tendency to make things awkward for him, not just in his youth, but throughout his life. Below are some interesting facts about Mary Ball, and her at times tricky relationship with George Washington.
George Washington Grew Up “Ten Times More Afraid” of His Mother than Anybody Else He Knew
America’s first president reportedly cut down a cherry tree in his childhood, and was then unable to lie about it to his father. In reality, that never happened. It was made up by Mason Locke Weems, one of Washington’s early biographers. However, Washington’s childhood relationship with his mother could yield some true, although less inspirational, tales. Mary Ball Washington was not monstrous. Indeed, she deserves credit for raising “The Father of His Country”.
What made her an iffy mother was a lifelong diet of passive-aggressiveness that she fed her son. As Washington put it, he grew up “ten times more afraid” of Mary than anybody else he knew. Mary Ball Washington made things awkward for George his entire life. During America’s War of Independence, she asked Virginia’s House of Delegates for money. Her embarrassed son – a conscientious straight rod appalled at the idea of nepotism – was forced to hurriedly pen a letter, urging the Assembly not to give his mother any money.
The attempt to cash in on her son’s position was bad enough. It paled in comparison, however, to the fact that even as Washington was leading the Patriots in their fight for independence, Mary was a vocal supporter of King George III. She stayed passive-aggressive to the end. When George became president in 1789 and dropped by to visit his mother she did not celebrate, but instead told him that she was dying.
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Some Sources & Further Reading
Chernow, Ron – Washington: A Life (2010)
Daily Beast – Happy Mother’s Day! Meet the Worst Mothers in History
